Besan ka Dokhla (Gram Flour dokhla)

Besan ka Dokhla is a traditional dish from Gujarat, but become very popular not only in India but other parts of the world. Dhokla is an excellent dish for breakfast and mid-afternoon or tea time snack and also great for appetizer and often served in parties.

Besan Dokhla is soft and spongy made by steaming besan (gram flour) and yogurt batter. After steaming it is cut into pieces then seasoned with curry leaves, sliced green chilies and mustard seeds and asafetida tadka. Besan Dokhla is usually accompanied with Dhania chutney (Hari chutney) or Tamarind chutney which makes every bite refreshing and heavenly. Since dokhla is steamed it is a nutritious guilt free snack.

If you do not have dokhla stand then you need﻿:﻿(See dokhla tips)1. Large pot with cover (Pan should be big enough to hold the baking dish)2. Round or square 2”-3” deep cake baking pan or a metal plate with the edges.3. Cake cooling rack.﻿﻿

Large pot

Baking pan

Rack

Besan and yogurt mix batter

Directions:1. In a bowl mix gram flour, yogurt and salt, with a hand mixer beat it for 2 minute or until it become light and fluffy, if beating by spoon then beat it until batter become light and fluffy, remove all the lumps, add some water if required.

2. The mixture should have a thick consistency.

3. Cover the bowl and keep it in a warm place to ferment for 3 to 4 hours..4. Once batter is fermented and ready to make dokhla keep the steamer ready on the stove. (Seehow to prepare steamer)

5. Add grated ginger and chopped green chili or ginger and chili paste, lemon juice, sugar and 1 teaspoon vegetable oil to the fermented besan mixture, and with the spoon mix them well.

6. Lightly grease the plates of dokhla stand or the baking pan. 7. Just before steaming add ENO fruit salt in the batter and add 2 teaspoon of water over the fruit salt, the bubble will start forming, with the spoon mix gently, the batter will start rising. Pour the batter immediately into the greased Dokhla plates or baking pan, fill about half the height of the pan or plates. Shake the pan or plates clockwise to spread the batter in an even layer.8. Immediately stack the dokhla dishes in the stand (if using the dokka stand). Now place the stand or baking pan with the batter in the steamer, cover the lid of the steamer and cook on medium high heat for 12 to 15 minutes.

Pour the dokhla batter in the baking pan

Place the baking pan in the steamer

9. To check if dokhla is done take a toothpick and poke it in the center, if the toothpick comes out clean and dry it means dokhla is done, if not, cook it little longer and check again.

Take the baking pan out of the steamer

Cut the dokhla with a wheel or a knife

10. Take the dokhla stand or baking pan out of the steamer and let it cool down.

11. Once dokhla cool down take a knife or pizza cutting wheel and grease a little and cut into 2” square pieces. Insert the knife under the dokhla and take the pieces out from the baking pan or the plates and place them in a plate.

Direction to prepare the seasoning:

1. In frying pan heat oil, add mustard seeds and asafetida and fry for 2 to 3 minutes or until mustard seed stop splattering and fried.

2. Add broken red chilies and fry for few seconds.

In a pan add oil, mustard seeds and asafetida and fry

Add red chilies and fry

3. Add curry leaves and fry for few seconds

4. Add sliced green chilies leaves and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes.

Add curry leaves and fry

Add sliced green chilies and sauté

5. Add 2 tablespoons of water and mix with mustard seeds, green and red chilies and curry leaves.

6. Add dokhla pieces in the pan and mix with chilies, curry leaves and mustard seeds and sauté for few minutes. Turn the stove off.

Add dokhla pieces and mix and sauté

Dokhla is ready

7. Transfer the dokhla pieces in a serving dish and garnish with coriander leaves.

Tips:(See Dokhla tips)1. The batter have to be fermented otherwise the doklha won’t be spongy.2. If the yogurt is watery then it requires less water to make the batter. 3. Make sure steamer is start making steam before placing the baking dish with batter in it otherwise dokhla may not turn spongy.

ENO Fruit salt

4. Eno fruit salt could be purchased from any Indian grocery store.

5.
After adding ENO fruit salt in
the batter don’t keep it idle for
a long time,steam
it immediately, otherwise dhokla will not be spongy6. If you want to prepare dhokla in batches then prepare batter without adding ENO salt and divide it into two equal portions. Add ENO salt in one portion and mix and pour immediately into greased pan and steam. When first batch is steamed add ENO salt in the other portion and follow the same process.

Please take the time to let me know what you think about my recipe. Your comments would be helpful to me to improve the recipe.Thank you Geeta Seth